


Blessed Italia and the Tower of Ai

by Ariaprincess



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: #FrUK if you squint, #GerIta if you squint harder, #Songfic, #betrayal because all these characters are little shits, #not related to religion in any way i swear, Alternate Universe - Blessed Messiah, Alternate Universe - Human, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 05:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13652046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariaprincess/pseuds/Ariaprincess
Summary: "That awful tower still loomed in Feliciano’s memories, but more as a symbol of hope than of hatred. The lifespan of Earth still burned there, you see, and therefore hope still remained in his heart."Due to a remorseless curse cast upon humanity by a vengeful god, Feliciano must take his destined place as Messiah and bring blessing to the land once more, his companions at his side. However, tensions run high, loyalties are tested, and Feliciano receives a grim reminder that power corrupts all in the end.[Based off of the song "Blessed Messiah and the Tower of Ai" by Hitoshizuku × Yama△]





	Blessed Italia and the Tower of Ai

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Another Hetalia fic, yaaaaaaay! *slams head into wall*
> 
> In all honesty I couldn't resist writing this one, and as a result this is mostly unedited shitwriting from 11 'o Clock at night. Hope you enjoy anyway.
> 
> Also a reminder that this is based on a song, this is in no way religious commentary. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are appreciated greatly :)

Darkness.

All Feliciano could think of when he remembered the past was darkness. The darkness that made the plants wither and the weather turn brutal, the darkness that spread over the entire world, destroying it little by little. The darkness that had taken his brother.

All because of humanity itself. They had done this.

Others had looked for power that mocked their God, intellect that was superior in every way, a way for them to rule the Earth themselves.

_He_ was angry, who wouldn’t be? 

That awful tower still loomed in Feliciano’s memories, but more as a symbol of hope than of hatred. The lifespan of Earth still burned there, you see, and therefore hope still remained in his heart. 

...

The village he lived in was loud, busy, and full of youthful faces.

Feliciano had stumbled upon it when he was still grieving Lovino’s death, a village of children that had survived whatever had been thrown at them and banded together. They had accepted him, gave him food and a place to live, and he repaid them by becoming the village tailor. He had always had a passion for sewing, and they were in dire need of somebody to mend what clothing they had, seeing as working in the village brought a lot of scraped knees and torn elbows. 

The people who lived there were nice, too. There were a few pairs of siblings; Kiku and Yao, the bakers, provided the village with fresh bread to eat and tended the crops, while Matthew and Alfred, the shepherds, provided meat. Antonio and Ludwig defended the village in their own ways, Antonio being an accomplished swordsman and Ludwig once having been a monk, but thrown out after renouncing his community’s ways. They were both strong as oxen, though Antonio was built in more of a spritely manner. Feliciano liked both of them, for he felt that Lovino would have liked Antonio a lot, and Ludwig had promised to protect him for as long as he remained in the village. 

Francis and Arthur provided the village with entertainment, Francis being a dancer and Arthur a bard; which the community needed at night when the fire was burning and spirits were beaten from the day’s work. Gilbert tied them all together as the village leader, doing just as much, if not more, work each day and leading them in revels each night. All of them lived by the village’s   
motto, one that strengthened their friendships and helped them through the hard days of famine and drought. 

_“Whatever fortune and pain we might face, we will face it together.”_

Feliciano never wanted the bonds he had built to shatter, he had had his fair share of cruelty during this awful time, and his new family provided comfort for months he had thought he would spend alone and unhappy.

But then the letter arrived.

...

“Gilbert! Gilbert!” 

Feliciano turned his head away from the pants he was mending to see Alfred sprinting like crazy through the lima bean patch and almost stepping on the tomato plants that Antonio insisted upon. 

“We have a letter here addressed to you! From a village far away, no idea how long it took them to get here, but it’s from their Oracle!”

Gilbert ducked his head out of his hut and faced Alfred, who was red-faced from running and panting, dripping with sweat. Matthew did not follow, having to return from out in the fields and pen their flock back in the village; protecting it from from the famished carnivores roaming the world.

“The Oracle, hm?” Gilbert said, taking the letter. Alfred rushed off to tell Kiku, and soon the whole village was crowded inside Gilbert’s residence. Feliciano himself dropped his sewing and raced to the meeting point as soon as he heard there was a message (partly because he was interested and partly because the pants he was mending were made of very tough material, hard to rip and even harder to mend).

“Read it, read it!” Multiple voices resounded in agreement, most noticeably Antonio’s and Francis’. 

Gilbert unfolded the letter and began to read out loud, trying not to look any of his friends in the eyes. 

_“Dear Unnamed Village,  
The time has come for another Messiah to take their place at the Tower of Ai, lighting the flame that will connect God’s forgiveness to the lifespan of the Earth. We have consulted our Oracle, who tells us that your Feliciano Vargas is destined to become this Messiah. It is a position of great honor, one that will restore our Earth to the glory it once was. He and his companions must make their way to the Tower as soon as possible and join together the Nine Blessings to save our dying world. Make haste. You must not fail.”_

Feliciano blanched as the letter was read, grasping the needle he had unwittingly pulled with him in his haste to leave his work behind. Now he wished he had not hurried, that he had finished slowly and not had to hear this news. 

“B-Blessings?” He stammered, holding out his hands for the letter. The crowd parted between him and Gilbert, who placed the letter in his hands gingerly. Feliciano read over the letters twice more, and swallowed.

“I have to go. I have to collect the Blessings, to save the Earth. B-but it says I can bring companions...” He managed to choke out, before Alfred interjected. 

“Totally! We’ll come with you, dude, blessings sound awesome!”

“The Blessings are to be gained by Feliciano only, Alfred.” Ludwig grumbled. “But I have to admit, it does sound like an adventure.”

“I don’t see why not.” Yao shrugged, nudging Kiku, who nodded in assent. Matthew gave a small nod and a smile, having returned from the fields, followed by a grinning Antonio’s agreement.

“Well, I suppose it could be fun.” Arthur said. Francis smiled. 

“If my love is going, well, I must go to protect him, no?”

“Bugger off.” Arthur mumbled. 

“Well then, it’s settled. We leave tomorrow. Go pack a bag, all of you, bring warm clothes and...” Gilbert began to list supplies they would need for the long hike up the mountain, but Feliciano tuned him out.

He was going back. Back to the tower that he had kept hope in his heart for all those long months. He could save the world. 

“...Don’t forget a water skin, it’ll be a long journey- hey, Feliciano, hey! Are you listening?”

Feliciano turned to him, smiled sadly, and nodded. 

...

“....and here’s the last one! Pull him up, Antonio!”

Antonio held out his hands to Kiku, who took them gladly and used them to pull himself onto the smooth ledge where the Tower stood. It had taken them two weeks to reach this place, hidden deep in the forests where nobody ever dared venture. They had had to dispatch deadly beasts with Antonio’s swordplay, forage for food in the coarse, dry dirt, climb a mountain to reach the tower itself.

Now they were here. They could end this disgusting cycle. 

Feliciano swelled with pride as they entered the tower. He had been hesitant at first, but as the journey went on, he had become more sure of himself. His friends had guided him, helped him through the moments where he was sure he would surrender, and assured him that he would be the best Messiah there had ever been. He could do this.

The doors rumbled shut behind them as the last of the ten passed through the gateway. They stood in a round room made of stone, an ethereal light illuminating nine doors carved into the wall. Feliciano took a deep breath and stepped forward as one of them began to open, shedding a blue light into the chamber. 

A round room awaited him behind the door, a single pedestal standing proudly in the middle. A strange, glowing disc of energy floated atop it, embossed with the image of a curling riptide.

“The Blooming Wave...” Feliciano whispered to himself, preparing to grasp it, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Feli.” It was Gilbert, smiling calmly. “I want to wish you luck. Do you remember the promise we told you about when you entered the village?”

“Y-Yeah...” Feliciano said, struggling to come up with the exact wording. “Whatever fortune and pain we might face, we will face it together, right?” 

“Exactly. Now...” The look on Gilbert’s face turned from a smile to a sneer as his grip tightened on Feliciano’s shoulder. With a cry, Feli was tossed to the ground outside of the doors as Gilbert walked forward. 

“You’ll share this fortune with me, won’t you?” His laugh faded as the doors closed behind him, leaving Feliciano shocked and staring at the wall where the door used to be.

“G-Gilbert...” He whispered to himself.... “Why would he do such a thing?” This last sentence was said to the eight others who stood behind him. When he turned to look, he cried out again, for the looks of friendship that he had become used to had been replaced with stone-cold glares of pure malice. Even Francis’ look to Arthur had become hateful. 

“I don’t know,” Antonio said, looking hopefully at the second door, the Fire Banquet, which had begun to open. “Maybe he wanted to become just as powerful as you were supposed to be. Nobody can have that much power for themselves. _Nine_ Blessings? You ask for too much, Feliciano. Speaking of which, ahaha....” Antonio broke out in a run, Feliciano following helplessly behind, and stood in front of the second chamber, facing the others. He drew his sword and pointed it to Feli’s throat.

“Sorry, Feliciano. You were like a brother to me, but if you want this blessing, you’ll have to fight me for it.”

His look of fiery hatred paired with a feral smirk, so unlike the happy grin Feli was used to seeing, was the last they saw of him as the doors slammed shut. The others were now on their guard, waiting for the next door to open. Feliciano slowly made his way to the third gateway, but was pushed aside by Yao.

“The Grace of Sunlight, hm? Seems fitting for me.” Yao looked at his little brother, whose smoldering glare would have cut Feliciano in half by sheer force of spite, and smiled smugly. 

“See you, little brother,” were his last words as he was lost from sight. 

“That bastard....” Kiku muttered under his breath, his steps frantic as he raced to reach the next opening. “I will become stronger than him. Darkness always overcomes sunlight in the end.” 

He pushed Feliciano out of the way and stepped forwards into the next chamber, the Peaceful Darkness, leaving Feliciano staring in shock. He had never seen Kiku angry, but the look on his face before the doors had closed...

“What’s happened to you all?” He cried, looking at the remaining few with helpless eyes. “I thought that I was the one chosen...”

“Did you seriously think we would let you keep these blessings, this _power_ , for yourself?” Francis said cruelly, watching another figure move towards the next door slowly. “Look, even your little boy-toy has succumbed to greed.”

“Ludwig!” Feliciano said, tears now evident in his eyes, as he watched his best friend claim another Blessing meant for him, the Trembling Ground. Mumbling a prayer under his breath, Ludwig looked at Feliciano with an expression of sadness. Feliciano thought he heard an apology right before the doors closed, but the trembling from stone on stone was so loud it might have only been his imagination. Everything was happening so fast. He was the weakest out of all of them, he could never beat them in strength, or even trickery. Speed was his only redeeming quality, but with his mind reeling from all the betrayal, he could barely bring himself to move.

“Well, seeing as our friendships clearly don’t matter anymore, I think it’s time for me to leave this little shit behind and get some of this power for myself.” Arthur said, taking off for the next open door. Feliciano tried to follow, but Arthur was too quick, and he was left standing outside of the chamber with tears in his eyes. Arthur looked at him scornfully. 

“The Rumble of Thunder? Perfect for a poet such as myself.” He hummed contentedly as Feliciano reached out for him, but jerked his hand back as the familiar clash of the stone doors closing resounded in his ears.

“I’m feeling inspired already.” Feliciano heard him speak right before the doors shut.

All of his friends.... The ones he thought would stand by him until the end, would help him become the Messiah... they all had betrayed him as soon as power was offered to them. Greed had distorted them all, turned them into monsters that would do anything for the chance to become great. 

“Francis... Matthew... Alfred... please, don’t leave me like they did.” Feliciano pleaded, but his cries were in vain as Francis ran forward, a tear glittering on his cheek, and claimed the next glory. He swayed to a melody only he could hear as he entered the chamber, reaching a hand out to the Whirlwind Rondo and looking at Feliciano with a look of self-satisfaction.

“So long, my friend.” He said with a wink and a laugh as Feliciano’s face evolved from shock to pure horror. 

Feliciano himself turned to the remaining twins, who had dark looks on their faces.

“You guys will stay with me... right?”

Matthew stepped forward first, gently putting a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder to push him aside. He darkly stepped forward into the next chamber, which let forth a blast of cold air and a white light so harsh it made Feliciano’s eyes hurt.

“The Garden of Silver Snow... Matthew, don’t!” Alfred screamed as his brother turned back. 

The tears on Matthew’s cheeks had frozen before they could hit the ground, but he smiled cruelly as he looked back at his brother and friend. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, smirking. The doors slammed closed once again.

Feliciano hung his head as he realized he had one chance, but the likelihood was slim of him reaching the chamber first at all. Alfred was muscled and fit from all the time he spent outdoors, and Feliciano had a weak frame from past months of malnourishment and sitting around sewing.

“Alfred... please... don’t leave me.” Feliciano turned to his last friend, a pleading tone in his voice. At first, he didn’t expect a reply, but after a moment, Alfred raised his head and grinned at him.

“Don’t worry, dude! I won’t abandon you like they did. I’ll make sure you get this blessing, safe and sound.”

Feliciano, grateful and despairing, hugged Alfred, clutching him to his chest in gratitude. Together, they walked towards the final chamber, which contained the Fetal Movement of Magma, a blessing that seemed to slumber peacefully as it awaited the two remaining travellers. As the door opened, Alfred held a hand in front of Feliciano’s chest.

“Woah there, bud.” He said, smiling at him. “Remember how Matthew’s blessing had that cold air coming from it? This is _magma_ , dude. I wanna make sure you aren’t burned to death before you collect the blessing, yeah?”

Before Feliciano could reply, Alfred stepped forward into the room and did a quick spin, feeling the hazy air around him and smiling.

“Is it okay? Can I come in?” Feliciano pleaded, but Alfred just threw back his head and laughed, the cruellest sound Feliciano had heard yet.

“Sorry, my dude, but you were never gonna come in. Ever.” Alfred looked at him with the same gaze as Matthew had moments before. “You’re so naive, Feliciano.” He said mockingly. “You’ll never be the Messiah at this rate. See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya!” 

The doors shut for the final time. 

Feliciano sank to his knees, clutching the torch he had entered with. The flame had gone out long ago, but he had kept it, hoping that he would get his chance. He only had one option now.

Shaking, he began to climb the steps to the altar at the very top of the tower.

...

The view was incredible.

Feliciano could see for miles in every direction, the cracked ground, the leafless trees, the few villages sprinkled here and there, but Feliciano wasn’t paying attention to the view.

He was looking at the altar. 

Nine figures surrounding a carved stone statue, an indent for a flame to be lit in the center. The figures held red candles, unlit, and had grooved indents running from their bases to the center of the ring. A ghostly figure stood in the center, before the statue. Feliciano could make out an outline of wavy hair with one strange cowlick and a long coat, but the figure was shadowy and facial details could not be made out.

_Who are they?_ Feliciano wondered, until it all came to him in one, startling motion.

This process had happened before.

_Another Messiah_ , the letter had said. This person... they had been through all that he had. They must have brought companions too. So why was there only one person? Another shocking realization struck him.

The “Blessings” were not gifts. They were sacrifices. An atonement. People willingly giving up their lives to save humanity once and again.

How had his friends known?

Visions came to him, most certainly brought to him by the ghostly figure. His friends, having pretended to be greedy to prevent him from taking these horrors, were now paying the price.

Gilbert, drowning in torrents and water that smothered him, choked him, until he could swim up for air, only to be thrown back into the abyss. 

Antonio, dancing through flames that turned his hair and skin to ash and cinders, burning the bottoms of his feet as he ducked and dodged to avoid the flames around him. 

Yao, curled up on his knees and clutching his stomach in the middle of a barren, desert wasteland; begging for water.

Kiku, screaming and tearing his skin to ribbons in the midst of hideous darkness, losing his mind little by little. 

Ludwig, his dear, dear Ludwig, being swallowed up and thrown about, breaking every bone in his body, by the Earth he had cherished.

His friends, the ones that he had loved, sacrificing their futures for him. 

Arthur, skin charred and burnt, struck by lightning again and again as he tried to run from an ever advancing storm. 

Francis, being torn apart by gusts of violent wind, stuck in the eye wall of a hurricane that would never dissipate. 

Matthew, kneeling on the ground, teeth chattering as frozen wind swirled around him, freezing him to the bones. 

Alfred, the last of them all, crawling desperately through the fires of hell, trying to reach a goal always just out of his grasp. 

Just as the last vision faded, Feliciano saw all of them, deteriorated and injured; flesh missing in patches, bones broken, skin burnt away; in a group before him, still smiling like they used to.

_Whatever fortune and pain we might face, we will face it together, right Feliciano?_

Feli broke down right then and there, imagining all his friends suffering in those prisons for eternity. Why did humanity have to be this way? Requiring sacrifices each fifteen years for the crimes we committed so long ago? This torch relay, these innocent sacrificial lambs, they would never be stopped. In fifteen years, more people would have to go through this again.

He realized that he, and all of them, wouldn’t live to see it, and this gave him the bleak strength to pull himself up and walk towards the center of the altar. The flame his friends had given him, he would pass it on. He would end this part of the cycle for as long as he could.

Without warning, the candles the figures were holding burst into flame, letting the wax drip into the pathways and run towards the indent in the center. The red liquid, that so much resembled blood, reminded Feliciano that he had a job to do. He knelt down by the center, watching the sunrise appear, and gave himself up to the one who had caused all of this. He accepted His will, and watched the fire of Earth light once again. As he watched the swirling flame, watched the magic of restoration crackle around the tower, he smiled to himself, then began to laugh.

These Blessings, they were just sorrows in disguise, weren’t they? Nine sorrows, for his nine friends. 

Sobbing and laughing simultaneously, he reached his hands toward the altar...


End file.
